Eight Yakuza in Four Seconds
by GuiltyPleasuresAndDeadlySins
Summary: “Hold a knife like this, cuts through an onion. Hold a knife like this, cuts through like eight yakuza in four seconds. Screams, carnage, People are like knives, everything’s in context.” What is the story behind that statement from Eliot? Warning inside.
1. Chapter 1

"Hold a knife like this, cuts through an onion. Hold a knife like this, cuts through like eight yakuza in four seconds. Screams, carnage… People are like knives, everything's in context." What is the story behind that statement from Eliot?

Warnings: there's some stuff that might upset people in here, mentions of child murder. Please, if you don't like it, don't read it. This isn't very cheery. Don't like, don't read.

This has been proof read, if anyone spots any mistakes, _please_ let me know!

Disclaimer: I do not own Leverage or any recognizable characters.

"_Speaking in Japanese_"

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Eliot was stuck in Japan. Which was just typical seeing as he'd just pissed of the yakuza. Fortunately, while he got his tickets sorted out, he'd got a job in a restaurant. Of course, there were some good things that had come out of his stay. He got out of his car.

"_Mori,_" he called to the slender waitress who was busy locking up the front of her small house – surprisingly not in a high-rise building, but an _actual_ house.

Morioko Sato turned and smiled at him. "_You're late,_" she admonished him, putting a hand on his cheek and leaning up to kiss him.

"_Sorry love, I ran into a little trouble. Ready to go?_"

"_Absolutely. It's absolute __**shit**__ working on your birthday._"

"_Hey! So long as I get to see you and the kids. Where's Hitomi and Takashi anyway?_"

"_With my mother. We can pick them up later. Come on, let's go._"

Morioko settled into the car beside Eliot, her bag at her feet. Eliot had met Morioko when he'd first come to Japan three months previously. The waitress had been working in a yakuza bar and he'd been there on business. He'd got talking with her and found out that the yakuza practically _owned_ her life. They'd killed her husband two years previously, leaving her alone to raise her two children Hitomi and Takashi. They'd then called in a loan her husband had had with them and had Morioko working it off. Eliot had felt for the pretty young woman. So, a month ago, he'd got Morioko out, brought her to Tokyo and got her a job in a restaurant, taking a job there himself to keep an eye on her while he got tickets out of Japan. He'd found himself slowly falling for the sweet young woman and her adorable children. Hitomi had immediately attached herself to his leg when he'd met her and Takashi had followed his older sister pretty quickly. He had offered to take her and her kids back to the USA, keep them safe. She'd accepted, and was currently trying to earn a bit of money so she wouldn't be completely financially-dependant on him. After the mess with the yakuza, he could understand her wish, and respected it.

They pulled up at the restaurant and Eliot parked up as Morioko ran in. The small restaurant did a thriving trade and it was brilliant for the two of them. Eliot went in and hung his jacket up, stuffing the hat into a pocket, and pulling on his 'work' jacket, and a hat to keep his hair out of his face and the food. Morioko was out front, carefully setting tables. Eliot smiled at her when she came into the kitchen. They were quickly getting ready to open, staff appearing, chefs cooking and waiting staff talking about how they were going to split the restaurant up for serving.

Then opening time was there and they were swept under with an influx of people. Everything went into overdrive and Eliot grinned. He was an adrenaline junkie, he could admit it, and though he normally got his thrills in warzones and combat situations, a restaurant would do. He did have to work harder to control his instincts as people came up behind him or startled him, but the adrenaline was still there.

It was two hours later when Eliot took a break and found Morioko leant against the back wall where they all went to relax and take a break.

Eliot wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "_How're you doing Mori?_"

"_I'm fine,_" she told him firmly. "_You?_"

"_Boiled. Absolutely boiled._"

"_That's what you get for working in a kitchen doofus._"

Morioko pressed a kiss to his lips and he deepened it. His arm slid around her waist and pulled her closer. Her arms wound around his neck, holding his head gently. They broke apart for air and Eliot stared into Morioko's deep brown eyes.

"_I love you,_" he murmured hesitantly.

They'd never spoken about love, Morioko had been hesitant about getting into a relationship, no matter how much her children had adored Eliot. For a moment she just stared at him, lips parted slightly, then she put her hand on the back of his head and pulled him back down to press a kiss to his lips, then wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head against his cheek.

"_I love you too,_" she whispered into his ear. "_And that terrifies me._"

Eliot's arms tightened around her waist. "_It scares me as well. But we can be scared together._"

"_I like that idea a lot…_"

"_I hate to break up these heart-warming confessions,_" one of the other chefs noted from where he was leant against the doorframe into the restaurant. "_But Mori, your tables are needing you, and Eliot, we need you to cook._"

"_Alright,_" Eliot nodded, pressing another kiss to Morioko's forehead. "_We'll talk more later huh?_"

"_Alright,_" Morioko agreed, already heading into the restaurant, Eliot hot on her heels.

It was hours later when the restaurant was shutting up. Morioko was clearing tables with the rest of the waiting staff while the chefs cleared up the kitchen. Eliot watched as Morioko deposited the last of the dishes in the pile for the busboys and leant against the bench, yawning and stretching out her neck.

"_What a night,_" she smiled fondly at Eliot. "_Ready to go?_"

"_Absolutely,_" Eliot agreed, pulling off his jacket and grinning as Morioko playfully snatched his hat. He grabbed it back off her and folded the stuff into his bag. "_Night guys._"

A chorus of goodnights followed them as they left, heading for Morioko's mother's flat in downtown Tokyo. Eliot looked over at Morioko as he drove. She was staring out of the window as they went, head back on the head rest behind her, an enigmatic smile on her face.

"_Whatcha thinking babe?_" Eliot asked her, reaching out and taking her hand. She squeezed his hand, and lifted it to press a kiss to the back of it.

"_How lucky I am,_" Morioko replied gently. "_To have such a wonderful man looking after me and my kids._"

"_I'm not that wonderful Mori._"

"_You are to me._"

Eliot smiled at her, wondering how on earth he'd managed to catch this beautiful young woman who had this strange belief that he was her saviour. He knew he should tell her what he _really_ did for a living, he just couldn't bring himself to tell her. They got to the apartment building and Eliot sprang out to open the passenger door. Morioko laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing his cheek.

"_Come on,_" Eliot took her hand and led her into the apartment building. A door opened and one of the neighbours came out.

"_Ah…Morioko,_" he sounded a little tense. "_There was a disturbance up at your mother's apartment…_"

Morioko didn't even wait till he was finished, she took off at a run, taking the stairs two at a time. Eliot ran after her, worried. He could take whoever was in that apartment, Morioko had no combat training. He caught up with her just before the apartment and pulled her back, noting that the door was slightly open.

"_We don't know who's in there,_" he told her.

"_My mother and my children,_" Morioko responded, tears streaming down her face. "_Eliot…_"

"_Just let me go first…please?_"

Morioko nodded and Eliot carefully slipped into the apartment, gesturing for Morioko to keep to the wall and stay quiet. They reached the living room and Morioko's control snapped at the sight of a small body curled up on the floor covered in blood.

"Hitomi!" she cried, lunging forward and cradling the body of her daughter tightly to her body, rocking back and forwards. "_My beautiful little girl!_"

Eliot saw the gun as it was pointed at Morioko and swore as it went off before he could get to Morioko or the gunner. He sprang at the body of his lover, cradling her into his arms as she gasped in pain.

"_You're going to be fine,_" he told her, hating how his voice shook. "_Everything's going to be OK, just take deep breaths, focus on me._"

"_I can't,_" Morioko croaked, pain evident in her eyes and voice. Eliot shifted her jacket to see that the bullet had pierced her chest just under her heart. "_Hurtss…I…I wanted to come. I really did. I __**do**__ love you. I do. I…I just…I don't think I can anymore._"

"_It's going to be fine Mori, everything's going to be fine."_

"_Look after Taka._"

"_You'll be able to do it yourself, I promise you._"

"_You can't._"

Eliot could tell she was dying. She wasn't going to make it. He cradled her closer, rocking her and the blood-stained and definitely dead body of her daughter – his surrogate daughter.

"_I love you so much Mori, I should've told you sooner. I'm sorry._"

Morioko reached up and rested a hand on Eliot's cheek. He could feel blood on it, and didn't know whether it was hers or Hitomi's. Quite frankly he didn't care, either way was equally sickening to him, and he'd been in many more horrific situations.

"_I…_"

Whatever she'd been going to say remained a secret as a shudder wracked her lean frame and her eyes seemed to glaze over. Eliot snarled quietly, turning to face the eight men gathered in the other end of the lounge.

"_I think we've broken him,_" the one holding the gun laughed.

"_Don't be so sure,_" Eliot growled, rising to his feet. "_You made a mistake coming after these guys. They're innocents._"

"_So? She shouldn't have defied us._"

"_Four seconds._"

"_For what?_"

Eliot had confused him. Good. A feral smile stretched over the hitter's face.

"_This,_" he stated, moving. The knife he'd tucked into the back of his jeans was whipped out, and spun to lie along his wrist. He kicked the first guy's feet out from underneath him, knife slicing through another guy's throats.

Four seconds later, the eight men were lying in a pool of blood and Eliot was shifting Morioko and Hitomi off the floor and onto the sofa so that they wouldn't be sullied by these men's blood. Next he moved over to the door into what was Takashi's room when he stayed here and knocked.

"_Go away!_" came the voice of Morioko's mother Katsumi Sato. (Morioko had returned to her maiden name after Eliot had helped her disappear).

"_It's me!_" Eliot called back. "_Are you two alright?_"

"_We're fine. You and Morioko?_"

"_Um…just…just, give me a minute. Are my clothes still in…?_"

"_The drawer in Morioko's room yes._"

"_Thanks._"

Eliot quickly changed out of his bloodstained clothes, and removed the blood from his skin. Then he went back and slipped into Takashi's room. The toddler lunged at him and buried his head into his stomach.

"_Hey kidda…_" Eliot murmured, stroking his head.

"_Morioko?_" Katsumi asked.

"_I'm sorry…I couldn't do anything…she's…she's dead._"

Takashi looked up at Eliot, eyes confused. "_What mean?_"

Eliot knelt down so that he was eye to eye with the young boy. "_I'm so sorry. Your mom…she's…she's…_"

He didn't get any further because he burst into tears at that point. Katsumi moved forward and swept both boys into her arms.

"_What do we need to do?_" she asked quietly. "_We have to get justice._"

Eliot managed to gain some semblance of control. "_There is justice. I…I just sort of…_"

Katsumi looked at him confused and then went to look out the door. Eliot stopped her.

"_It's a bloodbath out there, not much of it's theirs. Most of it's the guys who came here…_"

Katsumi looked upset. "_What do we do?_"

Eliot frowned quietly, realizing that despite being upset, Takashi had fallen asleep in his arms. "_Here's what we do. You're going to call the police, tell the truth. Except I need you to say that I'm just a friend of Morioko's, here to make sure she got here safely. You can't say who I am. I need you to not drop me in it. Please Katsumi, I loved Mori, I couldn't let them escape justice, or kill you guys. After this whole mess blows over, we're going to…we're all going to America. I can look after you two better there. Please?_"

Katsumi nodded. "_Are you leaving?_"

"_Yes. I have some stuff to take care of alright? I'll call you OK?_"

"_Look after yourself Eliot._"

"_I'm not going far, I'll be back, I promise._"

* * *

There is more, slightly less depressing stuff if you want it. I might post it, I dunno. Give me a shout with what you think…


	2. Chapter 2

This chapter took so long because it wasn't so much amended or rewritten as added in…Completely new chapter! Um…hope you enjoy…

Also, could someone tell me, has there been a single scene where they're pissed off at Eliot? I couldn't think of any out of hand. I know that in the Snow Job Nate's busted for drinking, in the Mile High Job they're pissed off at Hardison, in the Juror #6 Job they start off annoyed at Parker, and in the First and Second David Jobs they're annoyed at Sophie for betraying them, but I couldn't think of a _single_ one where _Eliot's_ been the one they've been angry at. Am I wrong? (Not counting Hardison's rant during the Order 23 Job seeing as he didn't seem to get angry).

* * *

**Chapter 2**

Eliot looked around the small house the realtor had taken him to. It was cosy, in the suburbs of Los Angeles, big enough for three people to live in comfortably with guests, and still had a very homey feel about it. He moved through the rooms, checking them over. The kitchen could use a little work – a new oven, probably a range, he could afford an Aga, he was sure of it – two of the four bedrooms were fine, one needed to be redecorated for a child, and the other just needed redecorating – he was drawing the line at having pink walls in his house, he couldn't do _that_. The living room was big, but the furniture was comfortable but outdated – he'd get the stuff out of storage, that would do very nicely – and while it was a living-room/diner the large room could easily be split by Japanese screens that were easy to fix into place. The bathrooms were fine. He smiled to himself. Now to enter into negotiations.

Half an hour later, Eliot had sent the realtor off with an offer that was about half the asking price after making a show of what needed to be done to the house. Five minutes later, he'd signed on the dotted line and the house was officially in the name of 'Damien Thompson and Katsumi Sato'. Everything was ready, now he just needed to get to work. He'd left Katsumi and Takashi at the hotel with enough money for them to go out and enjoy themselves while he came and checked it out – he hadn't mentioned where exactly he was going. He nodded to himself as he smiled around the house. Oh yes. He was going to take _good_ care of Katsumi and Takashi.

"_Alright,_" he murmured to himself. "_Now where to start…_"

* * *

Three days later, the house was shaping up nicely. He'd got the comfortable couch and chairs he'd had before he left America out of storage and into the living room with the original furniture in a charity shop. The horrific pink room was now cream, and looking a hell of a lot more welcoming. The original oven had been removed, and the benches rearranged for the delivery of the Aga tomorrow. Takashi's room was pretty much done. He nodded to himself. Pretty damn good for three days work and a little help from some of his new 'neighbours'. They noticed him doing all the work and asked if they could do anything to help. Seeing as Damien Thompson was supposedly a friendly businessman, Eliot had agreed happily and spent the better half of the three days sharing a laugh with them.

He was back at the hotel, spending some quality time with Takashi and Katsumi. Katsumi was suspicious of his behaviour. He couldn't blame her. He was disappearing for almost the entire day each day. It had been a month since the incident in Katsumi's apartment in Tokyo. Three weeks since they'd laid Morioko and little Hitomi to rest. Two weeks since they'd come to America, and for those two weeks Eliot had been house-hunting and decorating. Takashi was still crying himself to sleep and Eliot had taken to having the toddler in his bed to comfort him. Eliot's own mental state wasn't much better if he was honest. At least Takashi could bounce back with the right nurture and care. Eliot was stuck knowing that the woman he loved, the woman he could've saved had died. That the little girl he loved as the daughter he never had – and now never would – was dead. He'd seen worse things in his life, he was sure of it, he'd seen whole _villages_ of slaughter women and children, but never someone he'd cared about.

Katsumi was watching him as he played with Takashi in the park. They were playing tig, although of course, Takashi could always catch Eliot, and Eliot always had 'trouble' catching Takashi. Eliot noticed that Takashi had stopped and was staring longingly at a group of other toddlers. Eliot smiled.

"Takashi," he called, switching into English, wanting to make sure Takashi wasn't still thinking in Japanese. "How about we go and see if you can play with those guys?"

He pointed at the toddlers and Takashi clapped his hands delightedly. Eliot swept them up and approached the group, only to have one of the mothers' contingent appear.

"Excuse me ma'am," he drawled. "Would it be alright if my son joined your kids? We've only been back in the States a month and I'm hoping to get him to learn the language a bit faster if he plays with others his age."

The woman smiled. "What an excellent idea. What's your name?" she addressed her comment to Takashi who hesitated for a moment before Eliot gave him a quick jiggle and nodded his head at the woman.

"Takashi," his 'son' stated proudly, able to pronounce his own name very well.

"Well Takashi, why don't we go and introduce you?"

Eliot set Takashi down, letting him take the woman's hand and followed them as they finished walking over to the toddlers. The woman introduced Takashi and each of the kids and told them to play nice. Eliot smiled at the little boy, dropped a kiss on his head and went back to where he could watch from the bench Katsumi was sat on. She smiled at him.

"_You're a good father Eliot,_" she announced. "_Takashi could not do any better for an overprotective father._"

"_I'm not overprotective!_" Eliot objected. "_I just want to make sure he's safe!_"

"_But he'll grow. And you and I both know that he needs to learn for himself._"

Eliot looked away, he didn't know why memories of his childhood were coming back now, he thought he'd locked them away. "_Yeah, but he shouldn't have to grow up before his time Kat. And I won't let that happen._"

"_That's not what I meant._"

"_Does it matter Kat? Thanks though._"

Katsumi smiled again. "_Now are you going to tell me what's been keeping you away from us for the past three days?_"

"_Not just yet. You've just got to wait two more days._"

"_Oh…a surprise? I like surprises._"

"_I certainly hope you'll like this one._"

Eliot hadn't had much to smile about for the past month, but now, he felt good, the pain was still there, twisting inside his chest, but his mind was telling him that Morioko wouldn't have wanted him to grieve forever. She would want him to look after her family. So that's what he was doing. He slung an arm around Katsumi's shoulders, startling the older woman.

"_Actually, I __**know**__ you'll like it._"

* * *

Katsumi was looking at him confused as he navigated his way through the streets in his pick-up. Takashi was in the back, excited. He pulled up outside the house he'd put so much effort into and grinned.

"_Come on,_" he told Katsumi as he got out the car.

He undid Takashi's car-seat and lifted the toddler out onto his feet, taking his hand. Leading them up the path in the small, but well-maintained garden he fished in his pocket for the keys. He opened the door and ushered Katsumi and Takashi inside. Katsumi turned to him as he entered, eyes wide, mouth parted in a gasp.

"_Eliot!_" she exclaimed. "_What is this?_"

"_This Kat, Taka,_" Eliot smiled, ruffling the toddler's hair. "_Is our new home._"

"_Eliot…What?_"

"_This is our new home._"

"_You bought a house?_"

"_I've got enough money. This is ours. We own it, no mortgage, no debt. Just a house. Come on, I'll show you around._"

Katsumi nodded and Eliot called for Takashi to follow them. He showed them the lounge, with the comfortable furniture, plenty of cushions, and Japanese screens between the dining room and it. The dining room had an oak dining set, an oak sideboard, and pictures of them all. There was a picture that Eliot had hesitated over putting up. It was him, Morioko and the kids. Eliot had one arm around Mori's shoulders, and Hitomi curled up in his lap, while Mori was snuggled into his side with Takashi in her lap. It had been taken by Katsumi shortly before the whole mess a month before. There were other ones of Mori with her kids, Katsumi with her kids and one he'd found of himself asleep on a couch with Takashi asleep on top of him, and Hitomi asleep beside him. Katsumi was smiling at the photos and Takashi was still excited. Eliot led them into the kitchen, now to his specification, perfect for him cooking, with knives hung on a magnetic rack well out of reach of small hands. Stylish, yet also old-fashioned in a sense, like a farmhouse kitchen.

"_This is…_" Katsumi searched for words.

"_You haven't seen the best of it,_" Eliot told her. "_We're going upstairs now._"

Katsumi frowned at him, and followed him up the stairs as he picked Takashi up. Once upstairs he opened the first room.

"_This is yours Kat,_" he told her.

Having transported a lot of their stuff from Japan and putting it into his storage unit, Eliot had just had to go through and find all the stuff Kat had packed and then decide what to put into her room. He thought he had it right, the room was done in a traditional Japanese style. Katsumi stepped in, mouth open again.

"_Eliot…"_ she breathed in shock. "_This is…_"

Sat on the dresser were more pictures. One of Katsumi's and her husband on their wedding day, another of Katsumi's husband cradling the young Morioko. Katsumi turned and embraced Eliot tightly. Eliot forced down his normal knee-jerk reaction and wrapped his arms around Katsumi.

"_Thank you Eliot,_" she murmured. "_But this is too much! This must've been your life's savings!_"

"_Nothing's too much for you two Kat,_" Eliot replied. "_I want to do this._" Then he grabbed Takashi who was clearly bored. "_Your turn Taka._"

Eliot moved into the room across the hall that was next to his. He set Takashi down to see what he'd do. The room was a treasure trove for a youngster. It had toys all within easy reaching distance for a small child. Takashi waddled over to one of the cubby holes Eliot had formed for the toys and delightedly started playing. Katsumi was smiling again.

"_Oh Eliot,_" she sighed. "_How can you do this for us? It's just too much._"

"_Nothing is too much for you. I swore I'd look after you, and that's what I intend to do._"

"_How can you afford this though?_"

"_Kat…you've never questioned me before. We were staying in a five star hotel for two weeks and you never questioned me then._"

Katsumi frowned at him and he felt like a small child who'd just angered his kindly grandmother – at least, he assumed that, he didn't exactly have a cordial relationship with _any_ of his family. With a sigh he gently drew Katsumi away from Takashi.

"_Kat, I have something to tell you, it's about what I do for a living…_"

Katsumi looked confused, and wary. Eliot could feel his entire body tensing, ready for Katsumi telling him to get lost and to let her raise her grandson on her own. That was surely the only way this conversation could go.

* * *

Eliot looked at the man in front of him. They'd met in a bar, Eliot swearing he was never going to take any of his 'associates' home, or anywhere he lived. The man had just stated that he needed another member for a team going into Croatia. Eliot needed something to do, he was still feeling down off the problems in Japan and he needed a job to get it out of his slump.

"Croatia?" he repeated quietly. "Why Croatia?"

"We felt like it," the man shrugged. "Come on Spencer, we need you out there. You're the best knife-smith I know."

"I don't _make_ knives," Eliot retorted sharply.

"No, but I heard rumours about eight yakuza and sharp knife."

"Don't mention that."

The man backed off at the snarl under his words. "Alright, I won't. But we need you."

Eliot thought about it. "You got a deal. I'll be there."

The man smiled. "Excellent."

"Now I gotta go."

Eliot stood up and left, sauntering out of the bar, leaving his half-finished beer on the table. He didn't do mercenary gigs often, but this sounded like exactly what he needed to get over his slump.

* * *

Alright, that's that.

Next chapter: Reaction shot from after The Wedding Job. And you _will_ find out what Katsumi's reaction was to Eliot's confession about his profession.


	3. Chapter 3 Kishi Kaisei

This was all started with a quote from The Wedding Job, so I felt I ought to do a bit of a reaction shot. I sorta ship EliotSophie – there's just too much _tension _there. They're always backing each other up and talking to each other! So enjoy…there's mentions of the content of the previous chapters, but not much.

If you want a chapter telling what happened after Croatia, I can add one in, but for now, you got this one.

The translation for the 'title' is at the bottom as it's used in the chapter – and for Aoitori, if any of the Japanese words are wrong, please feel free to correct me! I'm relying on the internet!

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Eliot smiled sadly at their client Teresa and her daughter. They'd finished the lasagne and were now just sat around talking. The happy family, however fractured it was at the moment, sent pangs through his heart as he wished for the days back when he, Takashi, and the late Morioki, and Hitomi had spent the day in the park, or went out for an 'evening', giving the two toddlers a treat. It had been four years, and it still hurt like hell. He couldn't stay here, not when there was a happy family parading in front of him, taunts of what he could've had if he'd been just a little bit quicker, or a little bit smarter.

"I'm going to call it a night," Eliot decided rising to his feet. "I'm exhausted."

"You shouldn't be alone Eliot," Sophie pointed out. "After your…"

"I'm fine Soph, I've taken worse."

With that he walked away, only to find that Sophie had followed him into the kitchen where he'd left his jacket. That wasn't good, his defences against outside attacks weren't in place properly!

"You're not looking so hot," Sophie stated.

"Au contraire," Eliot smiled flirtatiously at her, trying to get his defences back in place and reinstate the banter he and Sophie managed. "I _always_ look hot."

Sophie smirked back. "No arguments there. I mean you don't look so good. You're looking a bit down."

"It's just post-op depression."

"You get that?"

"Not exactly. I just need to get back home…"

"Let me take you home. For my piece of mind? Please?" Sophie knew she was hitting low appealing to his gentlemanly nature. He sighed.

"Alright," Eliot gave up. "You driving me then?"

"I don't remember seeing your car here. Nate gave you a lift, I know."

Eliot gave a bark of a laugh and followed Sophie back out into the restaurant.

"I'm giving Eliot a lift home," Sophie told the others. "I'll make sure he gets there alright. Good night."

That sparked more thanks from Teresa before Sophie and Eliot could escape. Eliot slid into the passenger side of Sophie's car and swore as he realized he just given in and was now facing the possibility that she was about to discover his best kept secret. He quietly directed her to the comfortable house in the suburbs of LA. Sophie had an incredulous look on her face.

"Something wrong?" Eliot asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"No," Sophie shook her head. "I just didn't imagine you'd live somewhere like this."

Eliot chuckled. "Part-time residence. This is me."

Sophie stopped the car. Eliot hesitated slightly. Then he decided to take the plunge. He thought he could trust her. And hell, if all else failed, she was irreversibly in love with Nate. He trusted the team he realized with a start. After working so many jobs with them he was starting to get used to having people to back him up – something he'd never really had before. He rarely trusted anyone, let alone other criminals, and yet here he was ready to trust a master thief, a hacker and a grifter. Eliot really needed to get round to taking a good hard look at himself and deciding if he was a masochist or not.

"Do you want to come in for a cup of tea or something?"

"There's someone in," Sophie pointed out, gesturing at the light.

"I wouldn't invite you in if you were interrupting anything."

Sophie gave in at that point and grabbed her purse, following Eliot up the path. He unlocked the door and let himself in.

"I'm home!" he called.

"Papa!" a figure collided with Eliot's legs and the hitter bent to scoop the boy into his arms.

"What're you doing up squirt?"

"A friend's mother decided it was a good idea to feed him sugar," an elderly, Japanese woman came out of the lounge at a slower pace. "Who's this?"

"Oh," Eliot remembered his manners. "Miss Sophie Devereaux, this is Katsumi Sato."

"Pleased to meet you," Sophie offered her hand.

Katsumi took it. "A pleasure to meet you Miss Devereaux."

"Please, call me Sophie, Mrs Sato."

"Call me Katsumi."

Eliot smiled to himself as they instantly got on. "Sophie, this is…well, he's my son, Takashi Sato-Spencer."

"Double barrelled?" Sophie asked, eyes strangely sad.

"Um…I'll explain in a minute. Taka, you need to go to bed huh? You've been running your Nan ragged, go to bed sweetheart."

"Can't I play with Miss Sophie?"

"Some other time maybe."

"I need a word Eliot," Katsumi told him. "In private."

"Oh…um, Sophie, would you mind taking Takashi for a few moments?"

"Of course not," Sophie assured him, despite her stylish, and most probably expensive clothing.

Takashi clapped his hands together delightedly as Eliot put him down, he quickly accepted Sophie's jacket and purse and hung the jacket in the closet and put the purse on the hall table. Takashi led Sophie into the lounge and Eliot quickly locked up the doors before heading for the kitchen to make tea. Katsumi followed him. Once the kettle was on and there were teabags in the pot she swept him into a hug.

"_I approve,_" she told him gently.

"_What?_" Eliot asked confused. "_What do you mean? She's a colleague._"

"_Eliot, you look at her the same way you used to look at Morioko._"

"_I still love Mori, Kat. _

"_It's been nearly four years Eliot. And in all that time you haven't dated._"

"_I know… And with Sophie…she's…she's…_"

"_Civilised, elegant, beautiful._"

"_A lot like Mori, but so different that it's not like I'm trying to replace Mori with a clone._"

"_I'd suggest you go for it._"

"_I can't. She's in love with our boss._"

"_But he never looks at her does he?_"

"_Not the way she wants him to. He made a great speech about people waiting for love, but…I'm a thief, a con. You know that. Sophie, who can read people so easily is blind where Nate is concerned…he's playing her._"

"_She won't wait for him forever, and she cares about you. She drove you home._"

Katsumi smiled at him as he poured water into the teapot. Eliot could talk frankly with Katsumi about who he was. He'd explained it to her when she questioned the source of his income – and she'd suspected something anyway after the incident just after Morioko and Hitomi's deaths. He'd told her shortly after they'd moved to the States. Waiting for the tea to brew he let his mind wander back.

* * *

_(Four years earlier)_

With a sigh he gently drew Katsumi away from Takashi.

"_Kat, I have something to tell you, it's about what I do for a living…_"

Katsumi looked confused, and wary. Eliot could feel his entire body tensing, ready for Katsumi telling him to get lost and to let her raise her grandson on her own. That was surely the only way this conversation could go.

Eliot closed his eyes, his head dropping forward. "_I'm not exactly who I always said I am. When I met Mori I was working for the yakuza. I'm a thief, a hitman, a conman, a criminal. You and Taka would probably be better off without me bringing that kind of danger here. I don't want to leave, I love Taka, I adore you, and I promised myself and Mori that I'd look after you. But…_"

Katsumi shook her head, her fingers on his lips cutting him off. "I no naka no kawazu taikai wo shirazu. _I am not. Eliot, no matter what you do, you always had my daughter's best interests at heart. And you avenged her death. And now I see you having __**our**__ best interests at heart. Your __**son's**__ best interests at heart. I do not judge you by what you do to survive, I do not know why you do it, but I know you would have a good reason. I judge you by the reasons you have done it. The smallest good deed is better than the grandest good intention. And you, I believe, do great deeds of good when you believe they are warranted._"

Eliot smiled at Katsumi. "_Now I know just what Mori saw in you. You give very good advice, and you're very wise._"

"_Eliot, you do not get to my age without learning a thing or two. Now, come, I believe you said something about the three of us going out to lunch._"

* * *

_(Present)_

Eliot came back to reality and smiled at Katsumi.

"_Do you want a cup of tea Kat?_" he asked her, feeling slightly more balanced than he had been since he asked Sophie in.

"_Yes thank you. You know I only threaten my tea. Just leave a mug in here and take the pot through into the living room. I'll go and put Taka to bed and then go to bed myself._"

"_Thanks. You've been great to me._"

"_For my daughter, I'd do anything. And she loved you more than anything in the world. I'll be here as long as you need me. But please remember: _kishi kaisei."

"_But that means…_"

"_I know what it means Eliot, but for once, do not put too much meaning into the words, merely hear the words and heed them. You have lived in the dark for too long._"

Katsumi smiled gently at him again and went to get Takashi off Sophie and take him to bed. Eliot put the teapot and a couple of cups on a tray, and grabbed a packet of biscuits from the cupboard. He carried it through into the living room to find Sophie sat on a chair, a thoughtful smile on her face.

"Hey," Eliot smiled down at her, setting the tray on the coffee table and pouring a little milk into each cup. "Penny for your thoughts?"

"I was just thinking what life would've been like if I'd met someone," Sophie replied honestly. "If I'd fallen in love earlier, settled down, left crime behind to raise a family."

Eliot started pouring the tea, then he handed her a cup and lifted his own before replying, toasting Sophie. "I think, that my life would be a lot less interesting."

"Really?"

"Really, you see I wouldn't be working with Leverage. You gave me a reason to stay, an ally to help Nate."

"That's why I stayed," Sophie smiled at him happily. "Because I knew you'd back me up."

"To trying to keep Nate sober," Eliot raised his tea cup again. Sophie lifted her own.

"I'll drink to that," Sophie agreed, lifting her own tea cup.

They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, sipping at their tea and eating biscuits. Both were slowly realizing that they were more comfortable with each other than the others. They could just be with each other. (A/N 1) Eliot had realized that earlier that week when they'd been talking about how much Moscone and his wife sounded like an opera.

"Um…if you don't mind me asking, who was Takashi's mother?"

Eliot looked down. He'd been expecting the question, but it still took a lot to answer it.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Sophie rested a hand on his arm. "I didn't mean to upset you…"

"It's alright," Eliot replied. "Takashi's mother was Katsumi's daughter. Morioko Sato. Um…I met her, four years, two months, and six days ago."

"That's precise."

"I know, I also know that three years, ten months, and twenty days ago, things went to hell. Mori was shot by the yakuza she once worked for, they'd already slaughtered her daughter. Her four year old daughter. They just stood there and laughed, and I just snapped. Eight of them, dead, in about four seconds."

"The comment to Nate in the kitchen," Sophie noted. "You passed if off so flippantly."

Eliot looked down and blinked back tears. "It's the only way I can deal with it. They killed the woman I loved. In the end, I brought Taka and Kat here to the states where I could protect them properly and adopted Taka. We double-barrelled his surname to honour his mother."

Sophie smiled at him, a sweet, pure smile. "Thank you for telling me Eliot. It means a lot to me."

"It's alright Soph. I feel…I feel you should know."

Sophie reached out and rested a hand on his forearm, in a friendly, yet intimate gesture. Eliot couldn't believe he'd just told Sophie about the most intimate relationship he'd ever had. With Morioko it had been different from Aimee. Sure Aimee was a firebrand, but she expected too much from him. Morioko just wanted him to be near her, wanted him to be himself. He'd broached 'business trips' with her, all she'd said was so long as he called when he could, he could do whatever the hell he wanted.

"Hardison said you almost got married," Sophie tried to steer into more lightweight topics. "And that when she married someone else, you liberated Croatia."

"Well, I just slaughtered eight yakuza, got her mother and son to America and still felt like crap, I needed stress relief."

"But…but she died?"

"Yeah, death's a sort of marriage isn't it? Just more binding."

Sophie mouthed soundlessly for a moment and then launched into an extended story about how she once stole a painting from one of Paris' lesser known, but just as good museums. It took Eliot's mind off Morioko, and he found himself laughing as Sophie described the guards' incompetency. They didn't realize how late it was until Sophie realized she really ought to go. Eliot glanced at the clock.

"Not a chance Soph," Eliot told her. "It's nearly one in the morning, what kind of a gentleman would I be if I let you drive home? We got a spare room. You can stay there tonight."

"I have nothing else to wear!"

"I'll lend you a shirt to sleep in, and Sophie, I _know_ you, I know you keep spare clothes in your car just in case."

"Alright," Sophie held up her hands. "I'll stay."

"Good girl," Eliot pressed a friendly kiss to her forehead and showed her up to the guest room.

Sophie smiled and after he'd handed her a shirt and pointed out the bathroom, he left her in peace.

"That the hell are you doing Spencer?" he asked himself quietly.

* * *

Well? What did you think?

A/N 1: I think that the greatest sign of friendship is an ability to sit with each other in silence feeling absolutely comfortable with it, not needing to fill the air with conversation. So…

**Translations:**

I no naka no kawazu taikai wo shirazub: A frog in a well does not know the great sea, metaphorical meaning: People are satisfied to judge things by their own narrow experience, never knowing of the wide world outside**.**

kishi kaisei: Wake from death and return to life, metaphorical meaning: To come out of a desperate situation and make a complete return in one sudden burst. (i.e. Katsumi sees Sophie as waking Eliot up from his 'death' after Mori's death, not quite the actual metaphor, but it helps).

I spent an interesting evening looking at Japanese proverbs and sayings for Katsumi to spout and Eliot to quote.


	4. Chapter 4 Minu Ga Hana

This chapter _was_ going to be a serious ship chapter, but I changed my mind about the ending…so it ended up just a really close friendship chapter…I don't know if it'll change down the line, but this is what you've got for now.

Did I mention at any point that I don't own anything? Well I don't really.

* * *

**Chapter 4 - Minu Ga Hana**

Somehow, and neither of them knew how, after that, it sort of became a post-job ritual for them. Sophie would often end up at Eliot's comfortable second-home with his small family. She adored Takashi, which was strange seeing as normally young children got on her nerves. She adored them from afar, but getting up close and personal was a different matter. But Takashi was such a sweetheart. He had a younger, less refined version of Eliot's manners, and kept calling her things like 'Miss Sophie' or 'Auntie Sophie'. She just couldn't get annoyed at him.

The second time it happened was after the Genogrow Job, when they'd nearly been plunged to an early death by the plane. Sophie had been surprised at how matter-of-fact Eliot had been when he'd been talking about killing someone, and further more, a whole _plane_ of people. Of course, this was the man who'd taken out eight yakuza hitmen in about four seconds. After they'd hit the ground, they'd debated spending a bit of time in the Caymans until Eliot had pointed out that they'd left Hardison on his own. That clinched it and they went back. Eliot left before Sophie, but after a bit of verbal fencing with Nate, Sophie had headed herself. Getting back to her apartment, she realized she didn't feel like being on her own and had headed over to Eliot's. Katsumi had opened the door and summoned her 'son-in-law', ushering Sophie inside. Eliot had invited her to stay for dinner and Sophie had loved it. Katsumi had done the same as she had done the first night and taken Takashi up to bed after he insisted on saying a proper goodnight to Sophie, kissing her cheek and hugging her, before leaving. Eliot and Sophie had then spent an enjoyable evening with half a bottle of wine between them (Eliot didn't drink much, and Sophie wasn't going to risk losing control and losing his respect), and exchanging stories of their previous heists. Sophie knew that Eliot was glossing over most of the violence he'd encountered – although the story about the bar full of gunmen in Serbia was hilarious. Still, slightly tipsy, and very comfortable at the house, she'd accepted the offer of a bed again.

The third time wasn't until two days after the job against the contractors. Eliot called her and asked if she wanted to go to a matinee movie with him and Takashi. She'd agreed and they'd ended up going to see Wall-E and Eliot had managed to get himself glared out of the cinema by other parents for laughing at the 'death' scene, and through most of the rest of it. Takashi seemed to have inherited his 'father's' sense of humour and had been laughing too, and Sophie could see why they'd found it funny. Afterwards, Eliot had taken them all for ice-cream and they'd spent an enjoyable afternoon in the park before Eliot drove them back to his place – a sleepy Takashi had latched onto Sophie and no matter what they did they couldn't quite get him free. Once they arrived back, Eliot had cooked a dinner for the two of them and they'd sat and watched the English rugby which Eliot had managed to get on his TV – he claimed that American football was a tad too safe for him, and Sophie could see why. She could imagine Eliot playing rugby. She noticed how much more relaxed he was than when they met up earlier. In the end, Eliot railroaded her into the guest room.

After the one where they'd put Nate and Parker in rehab, Sophie had again turned up on Eliot's doorstep, she hadn't meant to, she was suppose to end up at Nate's to railroad him, not Eliot's to break down. Katsumi had welcomed her in, explaining that Eliot wasn't in just then and Takashi was at a friend's house. Sophie had been close to tears, and Katsumi had given her a cup of tea and a few good words of advice – he's not worth the tears, whoever you're crying over, he's not worth it. Sophie had asked how Katsumi didn't know Sophie was crying over Eliot. "Cause that boy wouldn't do that to a lady like you," had been the calm response. Eliot had turned up with Takashi and a set of bruised knuckles shortly afterwards and Katsumi had taken his son with a frustrated sigh and a roll of her eyes. Eliot had simply hugged Sophie close and let her cry it out on her shoulder. She'd stayed the night again.

For her birthday, Eliot surprised her. He took her out to a ranch some way out of town. First she'd thought he was mad, but he'd still taken her riding. She'd loved every minute of it. But that had only been the start of it. Up on the veranda of a small but cosy mountain hut, Eliot had set up dinner. It wasn't anything fancy, and it wasn't hot, but it was damn good, and Sophie found out just how good Eliot was at making birthday cakes – although Eliot had coughed to the fact that Katsumi had iced it for him. It had been a wonderful afternoon, and then they went back down the mountain and headed back to Eliot's – after he'd revealed that he owned the cabin and that any time she wanted to use it, it was hers. Takashi had been waiting when she got in, and very sincerely, the little boy had held up a small package. She'd made some show of opening it, and then been overwhelmed by a very real wish to cry. The little boy had made a sign that read 'Sophie's Room'. It was childish, and brightly coloured, but it was perfect. Needless to say, Takashi was very proud when Sophie dropped to her knees, pulled him into a tight hug and pressed a kiss to his forehead telling him just that. Eliot had made some show of pinning the sign to the door of the guest room.

After the job with the trial, they hadn't made it back to Eliot's. Eliot had called Katsumi and told her that he would be staying at the office late and not to wait up. In the end, they'd been lying out on the couch in his office, Sophie comfortable on Eliot's chest as they talked about the day's work. They'd joked about Parker, and smiled at the thought of the team nutjob going out for coffee with an incredibly normal person. Sophie tried to ignore how comfortable it was to just lie there, listening to Eliot's steady heart beat, while Eliot tried not to think about how right it felt to have Sophie in his arms. They were both in denial, but neither of them wanted to really think about it. Sophie propped herself up on her elbows to look down at Eliot. He frowned at her and his frown deepened as she leant down to press a spontaneous kiss to his nose. "Teach me to play chess?" she asked disarmingly. Eliot had said yes. A few minutes later the two of them were asleep on the sofa, not even thinking about chess.

Not long after that, Sophie had taken Eliot out for his birthday, claiming that he needed to celebrate it, that it was what Morioko would've wanted. She'd spent an instructive night shortly after she'd figured his birthday out with Donnie, the actor he'd brought in during the court job. Donnie it turned out, was also a retriever, and had a broad knowledge of the kind of things Eliot and his son would love – it surprised Sophie to learn that Donnie knew about Takashi. In the end, Sophie had settled on a set of cooking knives, and tickets for Takashi and Eliot to go to a motocross event. So after dinner in an upscale restaurant, Sophie had taken Eliot back to her apartment and handed him her gifts. Eliot had opened the envelope first and with a laugh had hugged Sophie, thanking her profusely. When he'd opened the knife-set, Sophie hadn't been so sure of his reaction. He'd run his hands over the handles, staring almost blankly at them. Then he looked up at her, and Sophie saw just how grateful they were. "They're perfect," he murmured. "I've never seen a set like them." Sophie had proceeded after that statement to explain that she'd had the set custom made, after some discreet hand measurements, to fit Eliot's grip exactly, even when being used for other pursuits than cooking. Eliot had pulled one out to experiment and found that that was true. Eliot had stayed at Sophie's that night.

Then came the mess with the First David Job. Eliot had been right behind her, backing her in their efforts to get Nate sober. After just over a year of working as part of the same team, and spending a lot of time with each other, Eliot and Sophie had formed a close bond, closer than the bond Sophie felt she'd had with Nate. The job was simple, and Sophie would've got the First David out of it. That was what she wanted. Of course everything got shot to hell. First Maggie turned up – unfortunately that ended up with Sophie finding herself dead jealous, and she wasn't quite sure who of, Nate or Eliot. Then Sterling showed up, and managed to catch Parker and Hardison. Eliot was almost caught, and had received quite a few injuries as the price for staying free, but the relief Sophie had felt when Eliot's gruff voice had snarled his threats over their earpieces was beyond anything. So they'd managed to get everyone out, and they'd split up. Sophie had been loathe to end things as were with Eliot, but didn't see any real choice in the matter. She missed their post-job ritual, but she wasn't about to go and see him just now.

When they got back together with Nate's plan to get back at Sterling and Blackpoole, Sophie didn't know what to expect from Eliot. She realized instantly that she'd made a big mistake, he was all prickly words and hard responses. Of all of them, he was the one she most wanted forgiveness from, and the one she was most afraid to beg it from. So, she foolishly went to the other two first. When she went to apologize to Eliot, he'd reacted scornfully, his words cutting her. He'd just been getting used to working as part of a team, to trusting people to watch his back and she'd torn that away from him. More than the others – more even than Nate – Sophie knew what it cost Eliot to give trust, and how warily he gave it. In the end he'd said they were OK, but Sophie knew they weren't, but she didn't have time to talk about it. What startled her were the Japanese words Eliot murmured 'Neko ni katsuobushi'. She wondered what he meant by that. The job went as planned, yet still they had to split up and go to ground. Sophie _knew_ she couldn't leave it like it had ended with Eliot.

So with a little help from Donnie, she'd proposed a job to Eliot, in an attempt to get a face-to-face meeting. She succeeded. So here she was three weeks later.

Eliot walked into the restaurant and stared at her, before fixing his shirt and crossing to the table.

"Sophie," he stated tensely.

"Eliot," she replied, chewing her lip slightly. Here she was, expert in reading people, nervous around a man she _knew_ would never hurt her.

"What're you doing here?"

"I came to apologize properly. You deserve a proper apology."

"Thanks, that all?"

"Is that all you're going to say Eliot? 'Thanks, that all?'?"

"What do you want me to say Soph?" It was unconscious, Eliot didn't even realize he was calling her it. "I welcomed you into my life. I introduced you to Taka and Kat. I can think offhand of three people I've done that with, and one's you. The other's Donnie. The third…never mind. The point stands that you just threw that back in my face! You don't con your own team!"

"You've said that over and over again!"

"Because it's the truth Soph. Thanks for apologizing properly. Is there a job? Or was that all you wanted to say?"

"I wanted to ask if I'd be thrown out if I came to visit Taka and Kat," Sophie admitted quietly, blinking back tears. She looked up and saw that Eliot's eyes, that had been ice-cold before, had softened slightly.

"I think if I tried to throw you out Kat would evict me."

"Can she do that?"

"I'll put it this way Soph. I wouldn't want to try it. Darlin'…it hurt like hell, what you did, I can't deny it. But…but you came back, you tried to make things right. Besides Taka adores you, he's been asking after you, wonderin' where you were. He wants to see you, I ain't denying my son anything."

Sophie looked at Eliot, wondering quietly if their friendship was back on track, and if there was a chance of anything more. If there wasn't, she'd settle for the friendship, it was a comforting thing knowing that she had one of the toughest men around caring for her and as her friend. She smiled at him, and he returned it, although it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Saru mo ki kara ochiru, Soph," Eliot quoted softly.

"What does that mean?" she asked quietly.

"Even monkeys fall from trees. We all make mistakes."

Sophie bit her lip slightly and managed to not burst out into laughter at his comment. Eliot's eyes lit up with the smile, and Sophie realized for the first time since Hardison and Parker had been captured and Eliot had been beaten up, that her and the hitter really were OK.

* * *

I think I want to follow this on into the next series. Thoughts?

PS I know Wall-E has been out for ages, but it's the only kids film I could think of that I knew the plot to that had been in the cinema recently. And the laughing thing is for real, me and two of my friends honestly _did_ get glared at for laughing at 'inappropriate' places that we thought were hilarious.

Minu Ga Hana: not seeing is a flower. Metaphorically: Things will never be as you imagin, so you're better off not seeing them/Reality can't compete with imagination

Neko ni katsuobushi literally means fish to a cat, and this basically means a situation where one can not let their guard down – as I believe Eliot would feel after the First David Job.

Again, Aoitori if any of these are wrong, please correct me!


End file.
